5:20 GALWAYBAYHOTEL.COM AND RADISSONHOTELGALWAY.COM NOVICE HURDLE

Willie Mullins has won this race for the last three years and plenty of punters will fancy Nessun Dorma, who is two from two over hurdles, to make it four in a row for the champion trainer. However he has a big task taking on Joseph O’Brien’s Le Richebourg, who will be Barry Geraghty’s first ride back after an arm injury sustained in the Irish Grand National.

The son of Network has fair bumper form but seems to have taken well to hurdles and his six-length win over Timi Roli last time out reads well in the context of this race. He can get favourite backers off to a flyer. Twobeelucky, trained by Henry de Bromhead, is another to have taken well to jumping and he should have no problems with ground which is likely to be on the soft side.

SELECTION: LE RICHEBOURG NEXT BEST: TWOBEELUCKY

5:50 EASYFIX HANDICAP HURDLE

Canny Tom has been running consistently well for Gordon Elliott and he can run another big race here. However Artful Artist is a worthy favourite given his excellent Galway form and he is taken to extend his good record. Tony Martin’s eight-year-old won the Guinness Handicap here in 2014 and is rated 81 on the flat. He hasn’t hit the same sort of heights over hurdles as of yet but back at Galway he can produce his best.

Artful Artist won the Guinness Handicap at the 2014 Galway Festival

Successor is interesting on his first run in a handicap as is Crazywork De Vassy who has run okay on soft ground before. Weightfordave is an outsider to note. Noel Meade’s gelding has been running okay on the flat this summer but had previously performed well to finish seventh to Bobabout in a competitive handicap hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. A similar effort would see him involved today.

SELECTION: ARTFUL ARTIST NEXT BEST: WEIGHTFORDAVE

6:25 CLAREGALWAYHOTEL.IE (C & G) IRISH EBF MAIDEN

This maiden bears little resemblance to years gone by with no Dermot Weld or Aidan O’Brien-trained runner taking part. Joseph O’Brien trains the favourite Medal Of Honour and with the form of his first three runs, he sets a fair standard here.

However a chance is taken on Jim Bolger’s Impactful who showed enough in his debut third behind Battle Of Jericho at Leopardstown last Thursday week to suggest he could be up to winning a maiden of this stature.

SELECTION: IMPACTFUL NEXT BEST: MEDAL OF HONOUR

7:05 CLAYTONHOTELGALWAY.IE HANDICAP

Thunder Speed, well drawn in stall two, looks like the one to be on here. Fozzy Stack’s colt ran well on his comeback run in Leopardstown when he finished fourth to Hunaina in what looked like a good handicap. One of the rivals he faces today Nothing To Lose, finished just ahead of him but Thunder Speed can improve past him given this is just his fourth ever run and his second of this season.

Rich History is interesting on his handicap bow for Dermot Weld and Comhghairdeas should run well for Andy Slattery, who trained the runner-up in this race last year. Delegating is another interesting one for Michael O’Callaghan. The daughter of Delegator ran well in a maiden here last season and has proven form on soft ground. She is drawn well and looks competitively handicapped on her best form.

SELECTION: THUNDER SPEED NEXT BEST: DELEGATING

7:40 CONNACHT HOTEL (Q.R) HANDICAP

It is no surprise to see Swamp Fox, who won this race last year, popular in the betting to make it back-to-back wins. Joseph Murphy’s five-year-old is off a 10lb higher mark but has undoubtedly improved from last season. He has won his last two over hurdles and he could take this race en route to a crack at the Galway Hurdle on Wednesday.

Miles To Memphis and Lisa O'Neill winning at the Curragh

This race is fiercely competitive however and there are all sorts of dangers lurking. Rashaan and Automated look like they could go further than their current flat marks, considering their very useful hurdles form. The same can be said for Miles To Memphis who is two out of two on the flat and did very well to win a handicap over 12 furlongs at the Curragh on his previous run. Back up in trip will suit him fine and he is only 3lbs higher in the weights for that Curragh win which looks like a lenient assessment. The excellent Lisa O’Neill takes the ride and the son of Old Vic should run a huge race for trainer Denise Foster.

Elsewhere, Benkei, last season’s third, is worth consideration. Harry Rodgers’ seven-year-old comes in off the exact same preparation as he did coming into this race last season, having run well in the Listed Her Majesty’s Plate at Down Royal. His rating will probably go up at least 4lbs for that effort but he can race off his original mark today, which is 3lbs lower that his rating in this race 12 months ago.

8:10 EVENTUS HANDICAP

Hyperdrive ticks a lot of boxes for this race. Jessica Harrington’s gelding is a progressive three-year-old who has won his previous two races in good style. He handles soft ground, he’s a front runner and he has a plum draw in stall one. If Colm O’Donoghue can bounce the son of Mastercraftsman out in front he will prove a very tough horse to pass.

Hyperdrive has a big chance from stall one tonight

Acclamatio is interesting for Tony Martin on his second run of the season. He produced a surprise win at Killarney earlier this month and looks like he could progress now. However Eagle Spirit is given the second vote on account of a comfortable win at Naas on his previous run. Joseph O’Brien’s gelding was highly tried as a juvenile and may still be better than a mark of 89. The step up in trip should prove no problem and provided he handles the soft surface he can run big.

SELECTION: HYPERDRIVE NEXT BEST: EAGLE SPIRIT

8:40 MCGETTIGAN’S FLAT RACE

Boris Grishenko has been popular in the betting for Gordon Elliott and Jamie Codd and so is respected on his debut. A son of Sixties Icon, he is a half brother to Tetlami, who was a useful horse for Nicky Henderson and perhaps significantly was able to win on his racecourse debut.

However Joseph O’Brien’s Chess Grand Master, a son of Galileo, showed a fair amount of ability on his first run at Killarney and should he come on for that experience, he will prove tough to beat today. Poet Power is also respected from the Willie Mullins yard, as is Analytical Mindset, representing Robbie McNamara in the Dr Ronan Lambe colours.

SELECTION: CHESS GRAND MASTER NEXT BEST: BORIS GRISHENKO